Sony Unveils Compact, GPS-Enabled HD Camcorder

Earlier this year, Sony unveiled three hard-drive-based high-definition camcorders that also offered built-in GPS tagging and sorting of clips. Today, the company announced the Sony HDR-TG5V Handycam, a more compact high-definition camcorder that offers those mapping capabilities in a very slim, all-titanium frame.

Billed as a travel-friendly camcorder due to its GPS capabilities, durability, and compact size, the HDR-TG5V uses Navteq mapping software to sort and display recorded footage on a digital map interface.

The titanium-framed HDR-TG5V Handycam offers 16GB of flash storage (plus a MemoryStick Duo slot) and records full HD video (1920x1080 resolution) to AVCHD format. According to a press release, Sony says the 16GB drive holds up to two hours of full HD footage at the highest-quality setting and more than six hours at the lowest-quality video setting.

The HDR-TG5V also offers Sony's latest Bionz image processor and Exmor CMOS sensor, a 10x optical Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar zoom lens with optical image stabilization, the ability to shoot four-megapixel stills, and a built-in flash. A flip-out, 2.7-inch-diagonal touchscreen LCD is used to access most of the camcorder's features, which include a smile-triggered shutter for still images and face detection for both video and stills.

Due out in May, the Sony HDR-TG5V Handycam will sell for around US$1000.

The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.

My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.

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